Los Angeles needs seismic network after series of earthquakes: officials | a job

State regulators and LSU officials are working to establish a seismic monitoring network to understand a series of earthquakes in northwest Louisiana as questions grow about whether activity related to oil and gas production was the cause.

Earthquakes have been occurring in northwest Louisiana at least since 2019. But a series of earthquakes that began in late 2025 and culminated with larger quakes in early March, when Red River Parish was hit by three earthquakes measuring between 4 and 5 on the Richter scale, has drawn new attention to the issue.

The researchers revealed that these large earthquakes apparently caused the liquefaction and collapse of lands in a coal mine reclamation area located on wooden properties. They also indicated that some of them fell under the Red River and its earthen dams, although the damage there was not documented.

Louisiana “lacks adequate seismic monitoring across the state, making it very difficult to calculate the depth and geographic location of earthquakes,” Laura Sorey, a petroleum scientist and director of geology for the state Department of Conservation and Energy, told a state legislative committee on Tuesday.

Images of the ground cracking, liquefying and collapsing following the early March earthquakes in River Parish were shown by Tulane University geologist Cynthia Eppinger to state lawmakers Tuesday, May 26, 2026, during a hearing on responses to a series of earthquakes in northwest Louisiana. State officials are calling for the establishment of a new government earthquake monitoring network. Written by David J. Mitchell | Staff Writer ▲

A less sensitive nationwide network through the U.S. Geological Survey, a more sensitive but temporary network through work funded by a Tulane University researcher grant, and some out-of-state systems were able to capture recent seismic activity.

Suri called Tulane’s interim network a “saving grace,” but said Louisiana needs “additional monitoring so we can actually describe what’s going on and then make decisions based on that reliable data.”

State officials and several university and federal researchers said it was too early to determine what caused the shaking across a large swath of Louisiana from Natchitoches to the upper northwest corner of the state.

But the number and nature of earthquakes over the past few years near the Hinesville shale oil and gas field has raised questions about whether saltwater disposal wells associated with that drilling might be causing the tremors.

Earlier this year, the US Environmental Protection Agency urged state energy officials to monitor how oil and gas companies inject saltwater into the ground. The connection between wastewater injection and earthquakes has been documented in other states such as Texas, Oklahoma and Kansas and has sparked new regulations, some researchers said.

“The dilemma we face”

Some lawmakers on the House Select Committee on Homeland Security agreed that more data was needed, but stopped short of settling on the earthquake issue.

State Rep. Danny McCormick, R-Oil City, said he would like to see more information “so we can answer the question and then figure out what the problem is and go from there.” McCormick, who had his own oil business, wondered whether getting rid of salt water caused the earthquakes.

Earlier in the session, he was pushing legislation to remove limits on the pressures — and thus raising injection volumes — that noncommercial operators can use to inject saltwater underground in some parishes, despite opposition from the Department of Energy.

Cynthia Eppinger, a researcher at Tulane, told McCormick that his desire for more information was “music to my ears.” Its seismic equipment is funded by a USGS grant for another 12 to 14 months and is not really intended for monitoring, she said.

177 in Red River Parish, Louisiana, shown here on Saturday, March 7, 2026, near the location that, as of Saturday afternoon, was identified on the USGS website as the epicenter of the magnitude 4.9 earthquake that occurred on March 5. Written by Jill Beckett | Staff Photographer▲

“You can see the dilemma we face,” the geologist told McCormick.

The state Department of Energy is working with the LSU Center for Energy Studies and the Louisiana Geological Survey to develop the proposed state grid, but officials may not need to look far for ideas.

In August 2022, a government report released by Eppinger, researchers from LSU and the University of Louisiana at Lafayette, as well as the Department of Energy, called for creating a network of up to 10 earthquake monitors in northwest Louisiana with an automatic earthquake detection system.

The conclusion was based on a previous interim grid and other data that documented 40 earthquakes between June 2019 and March 2022, including three sets of shallow earthquake “swarms” along the Texas border and near the Coushatta in 2020 and 2021.

In this report, the researchers concluded that the earthquakes were an indicator of natural fault slip and that injection into the Haynesville Shale may trigger earthquakes that “open pathways for upward migration of drilling fluids” to areas where shallow earthquakes were detected.

The study also noted the risk that opening suspected fluid fractures could lead to possible groundwater contamination.

“We should look”

State Rep. Charles “Chuck” Owen, R-Rospine, told Surry that the 2022 report, which her department funded under former Gov. John Bel Edwards’ administration, was “a model we should look to.”

Suri responded that the report is part of what the agency and LSU are considering.

“I can’t speak to what did or didn’t happen at that time. I’m not familiar with those finer details,” she said.

Earlier in the hearing, Eppinger explained to lawmakers how her more sensitive temporary network was able to detect 100 earthquakes from Dec. 1 to March 20, including a cluster of newly discovered earthquakes near the Pelican community, west of Natchitoches and south of other quake clusters.

177 in Red River Parish, Louisiana, shown here on Saturday, March 7, 2026, near the location that, as of Saturday afternoon, was identified on the USGS website as the epicenter of the magnitude 4.9 earthquake that occurred on March 5. Written by Jill Beckett | Staff Photographer▲

She noted that other earthquake clusters near Coushatta and Moringsport were concentrated along known faults.

Karen Luttrell, an LSU geophysicist who specializes in earthquakes, explained that human activities can cause faults to slip by increasing fluid pressure within tiny pores in rocks.

She said induced seismic activity is “very common” in areas “with significant amounts of oil and gas production and significant amounts of wastewater reinjection.”

What Are The Main Benefits Of Comparing Car Insurance Quotes Online

LOS ANGELES, CA / ACCESSWIRE / June 24, 2020, / Compare-autoinsurance.Org has launched a new blog post that presents the main benefits of comparing multiple car insurance quotes. For more info and free online quotes, please visit https://compare-autoinsurance.Org/the-advantages-of-comparing-prices-with-car-insurance-quotes-online/ The modern society has numerous technological advantages. One important advantage is the speed at which information is sent and received. With the help of the internet, the shopping habits of many persons have drastically changed. The car insurance industry hasn't remained untouched by these changes. On the internet, drivers can compare insurance prices and find out which sellers have the best offers. View photos The advantages of comparing online car insurance quotes are the following: Online quotes can be obtained from anywhere and at any time. Unlike physical insurance agencies, websites don't have a specific schedule and they are available at any time. Drivers that have busy working schedules, can compare quotes from anywhere and at any time, even at midnight. Multiple choices. Almost all insurance providers, no matter if they are well-known brands or just local insurers, have an online presence. Online quotes will allow policyholders the chance to discover multiple insurance companies and check their prices. Drivers are no longer required to get quotes from just a few known insurance companies. Also, local and regional insurers can provide lower insurance rates for the same services. Accurate insurance estimates. Online quotes can only be accurate if the customers provide accurate and real info about their car models and driving history. Lying about past driving incidents can make the price estimates to be lower, but when dealing with an insurance company lying to them is useless. Usually, insurance companies will do research about a potential customer before granting him coverage. Online quotes can be sorted easily. Although drivers are recommended to not choose a policy just based on its price, drivers can easily sort quotes by insurance price. Using brokerage websites will allow drivers to get quotes from multiple insurers, thus making the comparison faster and easier. For additional info, money-saving tips, and free car insurance quotes, visit https://compare-autoinsurance.Org/ Compare-autoinsurance.Org is an online provider of life, home, health, and auto insurance quotes. This website is unique because it does not simply stick to one kind of insurance provider, but brings the clients the best deals from many different online insurance carriers. In this way, clients have access to offers from multiple carriers all in one place: this website. On this site, customers have access to quotes for insurance plans from various agencies, such as local or nationwide agencies, brand names insurance companies, etc. "Online quotes can easily help drivers obtain better car insurance deals. All they have to do is to complete an online form with accurate and real info, then compare prices", said Russell Rabichev, Marketing Director of Internet Marketing Company. CONTACT: Company Name: Internet Marketing CompanyPerson for contact Name: Gurgu CPhone Number: (818) 359-3898Email: [email protected]: https://compare-autoinsurance.Org/ SOURCE: Compare-autoinsurance.Org View source version on accesswire.Com:https://www.Accesswire.Com/595055/What-Are-The-Main-Benefits-Of-Comparing-Car-Insurance-Quotes-Online View photos